The Bull (The Black Land Series Book 2)

by D. Camille

  Lance was the most active of them all. All of his businesses were located within the city, which was a feat within itself. Maintaining a successful black-owned business was an anomaly. While residents regularly frequented the stores owned by other cultures, the self-hate and division instilled by slavery taught them not to place the same value on those ventures owned by people who looked like them.

  Despite the drawbacks, Lance had been determined to make his businesses the exceptions to the rule. Every venue he owned was thriving and embraced by the community. Lance was the most giving and compassionate dude around and always tried to give second chances. However, if you crossed him, there was no mercy.

  Khalil watched as the truck pulled up behind him. Lance exited with his arm still in the sling and Khalil frowned as he got out of his vehicle. He still couldn’t believe that someone had the nerve to shoot Lance, and in the damn back. He shook his head as his friends approached.

  “What’s up Negus?” he greeted them.

  “We need to take care of a snake,” Lance responded.

  Khalil glanced toward the house. “I see.”

  “Should we call Mac now or after?” Corvus asked.

  Lance looked at Corvus, then at the house. “After.”

  *********

  Khayla welcomed Tauri Patterson into her office and watched her take a seat and place a hand on her small baby bump.

  “I’m so glad you could see me today Khayla,” Tauri told her.

  Khayla smiled. “Of course Tauri, anything for you and Rion.”

  Tauri returned her smile. “How’s Lance?”

  “He’s taking care of business today…” she said softly.

  Tauri watched her. “I’m assuming you’re not talking about his properties?”

  Khayla shook her head slowly. “I’m worried that he’ll get hurt again.”

  “Did he take the Negus with him?” Tauri asked.

  “Corvus, yes.”

  “Why didn’t he call the others?”

  Khayla shrugged. “I don’t know what he’s planning to do, but I do know that whoever did this to him is going to pay.”

  “Well, I’m ready to prosecute whoever the culprit is,” Tauri informed her. “This is a priority for our office and Chief Green.” Tauri worked with Brandon as the top prosecutor for the city. After her marriage to Rion she’d still maintained her position and planned to return after the birth of their child.

  “I think you’ll be prosecuting a corpse Tauri,” Khayla told her matter-of-factly. “Lance doesn’t play like that.”

  Tauri looked across the desk at Khayla. “He knows who shot him?”

  “I think so…he hasn’t told me though.”

  “Should we call Chief Green or Brandon to give them a heads up?” Tauri asked concerned.

  Khayla shook her head adamantly. “No! Lance will call them when he wants them.”

  Tauri stared at Khayla for a moment then nodded. “You’re very protective and supportive of Lance. Is there something you want to tell me?”

  Khayla couldn’t contain the small smile that crossed her full lips. “Lance and I are trying to have a relationship,” she confessed softly.

  Tauri raised her hands in the air. “Well it’s about damn time!”

  Khayla laughed softly. “We had our first date the night he was shot.” She sobered. “I was leery about becoming involved with Lance, but after watching him lying on the floor, covered in blood with his life leaving his body…I realized just how much I love that man.”

  Tauri heard the quiver in Khayla’s voice. “Sometimes a near tragedy can bring something wonderful.”

  Khayla looked up. “Yes, I guess so.”

  “I’m happy for you and for Lance. Everybody knew you two belonged together, I’m just glad you finally realized it,” Tauri told her.

  “He is my King,” Khayla smiled. “And as his Queen, there is nothing I won’t do to protect him,” Khayla vowed passionately.

  Tauri looked at her. “That’s the Black Panther in you isn’t it?”

  Khayla nodded and Tauri sighed. “I swear I don’t know what to do with all of you...Khemets, Black Panthers…Kings, Queens, Young Gods, Negus and Nigist.”

  Khayla laughed. “The blood of our warrior ancestors runs through our veins, so we can’t help it.”

  Tauri shook her head. “My grandparents are still trying to understand all of this and I can barely explain it to them. I just leave that to Orion.”

  “Speaking of the young god, how is his baby god doing?” Khayla asked glancing at Tauri’s stomach.

  Tauri rubbed her belly gently. “That’s why I wanted to see you.”

  “Okay.”

  “Orion and his mother told me that you develop nutritional plans for pregnant women. I want to do whatever I can to make sure that both me and the baby are healthy. Mrs. Shaw says that you can help me,” Tauri paused. “I don’t want to rely on pharmaceutical drugs and products.”

  Khayla smiled. “I’m so glad to hear that Tauri. I wish more of our women would turn to natural measures.”

  “You know that the Shaw’s are very holistic, so they’re concerned about the new baby god.”

  Khayla laughed. “You mean Mrs. Shaw is getting on your damn nerves, so to get her off your back, you came to me.”

  “Yes.”

  Both women laughed. “Mrs. Shaw is something else. I’m shocked that she let you snatch up her young god.”

  “Oh, she wanted to cut me…” Tauri told her then smiled. “But Orion wasn’t having that.”

  “Girl, you put it on Rion so tough, the brother couldn’t even think straight. You had the lion purring.”

  Tauri smiled. “And you’ve been leading the bull around by the nose.”

  “You’re right, Lance is a bull. That boy is so damn stubborn and hardheaded. I have to make sure that he doesn’t run me over when he uses all that swag and charisma. Do you know women were lined up outside the damn hospital for him?”

  Tauri nodded. “Girl, that was a mess. They were on TV screaming and crying, reading scriptures and saying prayers.” She laughed. “What did he do to these women?”

  Khayla smiled slyly. “Oh, I know what he did to them and I know why they were acting a fool.”

  “He put that Detroit on them?” Tauri asked.

  “You know about that Detroit…” Khayla responded.

  Tauri rubbed her stomach. “Oh yes!”

  They both laughed again before Khayla reached into her desk.

  “So, let’s get started with you so you can get Mrs. Shaw out of your hair…”

  Tauri sat back. “I owe you one for this Khayla.”

  “It’s my pleasure. I love helping our people become and stay healthy. We have a new generation of warriors to raise.”

  “I can’t wait to see this little person,” Tauri told her staring down at her stomach. “Orion says how important it is for them to know their ancestors and I see how excited my grandparents are to witness another generation that’s connected to them.”

  Khayla looked at Tauri. “New life is the bridge to our future, it continues what we have begun.”

  “Are you and Lance planning to build some bridges?” Tauri questioned.

  “We haven’t gotten that far yet, but Lance Johnson is going to provide me with many soldiers and queens,” Khayla told her. “We have a nation to build to account for those who have been stolen from us through systematic demise. Our soldiers will turn this world upside down and make right the wrongs that have been afflicted unnecessarily upon our people.”

  Tauri shook her head. “See, this is why I can’t handle all of you sometimes.”

  Khayla smiled. “Aren’t you having five?”

  Tauri’s eyes narrowed. “Girl, don’t start with that...”

  Chapter 11

  Lance, Corvus and Khalil stood looking across the street at the home that held the man who’d betrayed Lance in the worse way. This was not the primary residence of Jamal, but both the Negus and
Lance had kept tabs on him, and knew his every move.

  “Have you seen him?” Lance asked Khalil.

  Khalil smiled. “Yeah, he been peeking out the curtains.”

  Lance shook his head. “Why do people think they can hide from me? Don’t they know my connects in this city? I am Detroit.”

  Corvus agreed. “They just don’t know.”

  Lance sighed. “Let’s go. I wanna hear what the fuck he got to say.”

  The trio starting walking towards the dwelling. “It won’t change the outcome,” Khalil said grimly.

  “Nah, it won’t.” Lance confirmed and turned to Khalil. “Khalil take the back.”

  Khalil nodded and headed around to the back of the house.

  “This fool might try anything, Corvus you got my back.” Lance instructed.

  “Always.”

  On the porch, both Corvus and Lance stood to the side of the door and knocked…hard.

  “Jamal!” Lance yelled. “Let me holla at you!”

  “This wasn’t my idea Lance!” Jamal yelled through the door.

  Lance looked at Corvus. “I’m giving you a chance to explain,” he yelled back. “Open the door.”

  “You think I don’t know why you’re here?”

  “You don’t want us to come inside Jamal,” Lance warned. “’Cause there will be no more talking.”

  Jamal cursed. “I didn’t want to be involved in this shit!”

  There was silence before the door opened to reveal Jamal standing in the doorway with Khalil behind him, with a gun to the back of his head.

  Lance and Corvus entered the house closing the door. Lance held his gun in his good arm and pointed it at Jamal’s head.

  “So this is how you do me?” Lance demanded angrily.

  Jamal’s eyes widened. “Lance, man…it was that broad!” he pleaded. “This was all her idea. I never thought she’d shoot you.”

  Lance’s eyes narrowed. “But you knew she wanted to rob me?”

  “I gave you a chance despite your record and your past…and you sell me out for some ass?” Lance questioned.

  Jamal shook his head. “Man, I’m so…”

  Lance steadied the gun. “Your ass better not say you’re sorry.” He cut him off. “You think that means shit to me?”

  “You set me up, try to rob me, then try to kill me? What the fuck does sorry do?” he demanded as Corvus and Khalil watched.

  Jamal shook his head. “I’m not going back to lockdown!” he vowed.

  Lance turned to Corvus. “You should get Rion and Brandon here.”

  Corvus nodded then headed out the door closing it firmly behind him.

  Jamal kept his eyes on Lance with the gun trained on his forehead. He tried to think of what he could say and realized his options were miniscule. Lance was right, he had given him a chance and he had sold him out for a piece of ass.

  Karen had been savvy in her plans to seduce Jamal and entice him into helping her rob the station. She’d promised to split the money with him and they had planned to leave town together. Now he hadn’t heard from her since their last conversation and had no idea where she was.

  “Damn Jamal, I wanted better for you man…” Lance said shaking his head. “We out here trying to clean up the city, trying to bring our people together and you plotting against me.”

  Corvus returned and took in the scene. Lance had the gun at Jamal’s head while Khalil was locked and loaded, ready to pounce.

  Lance continued. “You wanted to rob me when all you had to do was hit me up and talk to me. If you needed ends, you know I would have looked out for you… and Karen.”

  “I know I fucked up Lance,” Jamal pleaded.

  Lance looked Jamal in the eye and aimed the gun at his chest. “Yeah, you did.”

  ********

  Chief Mackenzie Green ended the call with Brandon and headed to the address where he had indicated Lance was with one of the suspects. She was relieved when he’d informed her of the situation. Normally, the Negus liked to handle things their way, which led to some conflicts between them and the police chief.

  Overall, Mac was grateful for the five men. They helped make her job a lot easier by controlling the streets which were out of her sight, and they usually did it with much discretion and without negative publicity to the city and the department.

  She arrived at the scene and found Rion and Brandon standing outside. Mac exited the car and directed her officers to stand down until further orders. Meeting the two on the sidewalk, she looked up at them.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  Rion and Brandon exchanged looks. “They’re inside,” Rion answered.

  “Who?” she inquired

  Before they could answer, a loud shot rang out from inside the house. Mac grabbed her gun along with all her officers.

  “Who’s inside Brandon?” she demanded.

  “Lance, Corvus, Khalil and Jamal,” Brandon told her quietly.

  Mac’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell have you all done?”

  Rion and Brandon both shrugged. “We were waiting out here for you Mac,” Rion explained. “We don’t know what happened inside.”

  “Move out of my way!” Mac motioned to her officers and made her way to the house.

  They stormed inside and found three men standing on one side of the room and another one on the floor with a wound to the head. Mac looked at the trio, focusing on the one with his arm in a sling.

  “What happened here?” she shouted.

  All the men looked at each other then back at Mac. “Suspect is down,” they answered in unison.

  “You probably need an ambulance,” Corvus said.

  Khalil shook his head. “Nah, a coroner.”

  Mac glared at Lance. “Jamal Wilson, your employee, who is a suspect in your shooting, mysteriously took a bullet to the side of the head?” Mac questioned.

  Lance stepped forward. “He said he wasn’t going back to prison.”

  Mac frowned at them. “You all are going to tell me what the hell happened in here or I’m arresting all of you!”

  “On what charges Chief Green?” Brandon asked coming through the door with Rion following.

  Mac glanced at the body on the floor. “Murder, Counselor.”

  A team rushed in to take care of the body as the bystanders moved out of their way and towards the door. “Don’t go anywhere, none of you!” Mac commanded.

  They all nodded. “We’ll wait outside,” Brandon told her before the men stepped out onto the porch.

  Fifteen minutes later, Mac joined them with an angry look on her face.

  “Suicide?” She looked at them all. “You expect me to believe that?”

  “Is that the preliminary cause of death?” Brandon asked.

  “You know it is!” Mac snapped then turned to Lance. “Why didn’t you let me handle this?”

  Lance walked over to Mac and looked down at her. “Because when you cross a bull, you get trampled.”

  “Did he really shoot himself?” she asked suspiciously.

  Lance nodded. “And the autopsy will prove it. He couldn’t handle what he’d done and was adamant about not returning to prison after serving twenty years there already. I walked in on a staged robbery that he planned and he knew there was no other way out.”

  “Who was the gunman?” Mac questioned.

  “It was Karen…my night clerk,” Lance answered. “She seduced the old dude and got him to be her accomplice.”

  Mac grabbed her receiver. “I’m having her picked up before you all get to her.” She looked at Lance. “Or am I too late?

  He shook his head. “No, I didn’t know it was her until today and she’s slipped out of town. I’ve been told she left a few days ago, headed south.”

  Mac lifted a brow. “What else can you tell me?”

  “That’s all I know for now, Mac.” Lance continued to look down at her.

  “The boy that worked for you, where is he?” she asked.

  “
I have him at a safe house. He wasn’t involved in this,” Lance explained.

  Mac nodded. “Okay, Lance, I’ll put out an APB for Karen. Go home and recuperate because I know how stubborn you are.”

  “Thanks Mac,” Lance leaned down and kissed her cheek softly. “I’m with Khayla now, so you missed your chance,” he told her teasingly.

  Mac looked up at him. “Boy, take your ass home.”

  *********

  Khayla sat on the sofa in her living room thinking about Lance. She checked the watch on wrist indicating it was after ten. She hadn’t heard from him all day and was concerned about what had transpired during the day. The local news had broken the story that Jamal Wilson had been found dead in a home on the west side, with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Khayla wondered just how much “self” had played a part in that.

  She hadn’t tried to contact Lance because she already knew that when the guys were doing Negus business they didn’t answer their phones. Lying back against the cushions, she sighed. Now that she had let Lance back into her life, she knew there was no turning back and he would make sure that she didn’t. Being honest with herself, Khayla could admit that Lance was all that she wanted. He was fine, smart, ambitious, and could handle his business. Lance was also kind, giving to a fault and compassionate.

  On the other hand, he was hoe…a bona fide hoe. His reputation around Detroit was damn near legendary. Yet despite the number of women he’d entertained, Lance kept his business very private. Women didn’t ring his phone nor visit his home or businesses looking for him. However he did it, he kept them in check and Khayla appreciated that.

  Lance kept things very close to his chest. He only disclosed information on a need- to-know basis and his mind was always thinking and planning his next steps. It amazed Khayla how quickly he could formulate and disseminate ideas despite the fact that he didn’t have a formal education. Khalil had told her about Lance’s hesitancy to be with her because of that very fact.

  Khayla smiled and shook her head. Lance didn’t know that she admired him more than any doctor or executive she’d met. His “lack” of education in no way took away from the man he was. In fact, it made him more incredible the fact that he’d accomplished so much off of his sheer talent and determination. He could have easily become another stereotype, but he’d bulled his way through overcoming every obstacle in his way.